Reversible rotatable cutting and ironing board combination

ABSTRACT

A reversible combination cutting and ironing board, and more particularly, pertains to a turntable structure incorporating a disk-shaped plate having a cutting surface on one side thereof, and a second disk-shaped plate forming an ironing board on the opposite side, which are rotatable about a transverse center axis relative to each other.

BACKROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a reversible combination cutting andironing board, and more particularly, pertains to a turntable structureincorporating a disk-shaped plate having a cutting surface on one sidethereof, and a second disk-shaped plate forming an ironing board on theopposite side, which are rotatable about a transverse center axisrelative to each other.

In the field of quilting wherein numerous and the most diverse types ofdesigns and patterns are employed for the purpose of forming quilts ofthe most decorative natures, pieces of fabric are cut into appropriatesections or squares by employing templates which are maintained inposition on the fabric, the latter of which is positioned on a mat orplanar cutting surface. Heretofore, in order to provide the appropriatesections of fabric being cut with a high degree of accuracy, through theintermediary of templates and the application of cutting tools whilepositioned on a mat, it has been the norm to turn the template and thematerial on the supporting mat or surface which is not only inconvenientfort he cutting person, but frequently causes some slippage of thetemplates and fabric relative to each other so as to render the entireprocedure rather inaccurate and difficult to implement.

In order to improve upon the foregoing fabric cutting procedure, inrecent years the present inventor devised a unique structure whichcombines the accuracy of using templates in the cutting of fabric piecesfor quilting with the convenience of rotary cutting on a rotatableturntable possessing a planar self-healing cutting surface, therebyenhancing accuracy in cutting an comfort to user in being able to avoidthe repositioning of the fabric and template during cutting. Inparticular, the rotating turntable was supported on a rotatableball-bearing structure which, in turn, was adapted to be positioned on asuitable support surface, and thereby facilitating turning of thecutting surface of the rotating turntable through any angle of rotationabout a central axis to render easier the cutting of the fabric withoutany slippage or misdirected cuts inasmuch as the necessity of having toshift or move the fabric and template relative to its supporting mat orcutting surface was essentially eliminated. This particular rotatingturntable having the plate possessing the cutting surface mounted on arotational ball-bearing base have been copyrighted by the presentinventor under the name “Brooklyn Revolver” by Come Quilt With Me Inc.,and is an extremely useful tool in enabling an easy and accurate cuttingall sides of fabric below the template, while being of a light weightand portable construction.

Although the foregoing revolving turntable having the planar cuttingsurface clearly and dramatically improved upon the usually rectangularand non-rotatable cutting boards or mats employed for quilting orsimilar trimming and fabric cutting operations, subsequent to cuttingthe individual pieces of fabric, these generally required ironing on aseparate ironing surface prior to further processing into quilts orother kinds of fabric arrangements.

In order to solve the problem of having separate fabric cutting surfacesand ironing or pressing stations utilized in forming the fabric materialpieces, there have been developed portable cutting and ironing orpressing units which combine both units into a single interconnected orintegrated physical structure.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

In particular, reference is made to Ziegler, U.S. Design Pat. No.333,540, which discloses a combination cutting and ironing boardconsisting of a rectangular, laminated plate structure of which oneexternal side is a rigid cutting surface adapted for cutting fabricsthrough the intermediary of a template and a rotary or linear cutter,and wherein the other opposite external side of the laminated structurehas a surface which includes an ironing board-type cover of material andwhereby, upon reversing the position of the board subsequent to cuttingthe fabric material, the material may then be ironed on the oppositesurface. The entire structure is portable and may be carried by means ofa handle which is attached to one edge of the board.

Pursuant to another structure, there is described a foldable devicecalled “The FoldAway”, produced by the Omnigrid Company of Spartanburg,S.C., in which a rectangular board has a grided mat adapted for cuttingfabrics, such as by means of a rotary cutter and a template, and whereinetched along a fold line is a second surface which can be employed as anironing board or pressing surface. The entire structure can be foldedtogether and includes a handle carrying the arrangement in a compactmanner. Also known are so-called “Rotary Cutting Mats” which arelaminated plates manufactured by June Tailor of Richfield, Wis. whereina first rectangular plate having a carrying handle at one end thereofhas a cutting surface on one side, and is laminated to a plate with anironing or pressing surface on the opposite side thereof. This structureis designated as a so-called rotary cutting mat due to its beingreversible between one side and the other for selectively either cuttingor pressing utilizations implemented on fabric pieces.

Although the foregoing structures each incorporate surfaces for cuttingand further surfaces for pressing or ironing, these structures areessentially rectangular boards which are not adapted to provide for theadvantages of the rotating turntable as designed by the presentinventor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in order to further improve upon the technology in a noveland unique manner, pursuant to the present invention there is provided areversible combined cutting and ironing board in the nature of aturntable, in which a disk-shaped plate having a cutting surface issupported for relative rotation on a ball-bearing arrangement, andwherein the opposite or distal side of the ball bearing arrangementprovides for a spacer mounting a second disk-shaped plate of essentiallythe same size as the cutting plate is fastened to the ball bearingarrangement and is rotatable relative to the cutting plate about acentral transverse axis. An ironing board cover may be mounted on theexterior surface of the second plate so as to provide for an ironingsurface on the inverted side of the rotatable turntable structureopposite to the orientation of the cutting surface, but extending inparallel therewith.

In particular, the ironing board surface or cover on the second platemay be located on a horizontal support surface while the upwardly facingsurface of the cutting plate is employed in a rotatable manner forcutting fabric sections by means of a template and a suitable cuttingtool, such as a rotary cutter as is well known in the art, and as isdisclosed in the structure of the present inventor's “Brooklyn Revolver”turntable as discussed hereinbefore.

Thereafter, it is a relatively simple matter for a user to invert theentire assembly so that the cutting plate now forms the bottom surfacewhich rests on a support surface, and the ironing board surface isoriented upwardly so as to enable the previously cut fabric sections orpieces to be ironed, while the ironing board is rotatable relative tothe cutting plate which is supported therebeneath.

In order to implement the foregoing, the entire structure is constitutedof relatively inexpensive and dependable components imbued with lengthyservice lives, most of which are essentially of plastic materialconstruction, and wherein the disk-shaped elements which are rotatablerelative to each other are of essentially light weight and sturdyconstruction so as to afford all of the advantages of the abovedescribed “Brooklyn Revolver” structure as designed and commercializedby the present inventor, while incorporating the advantage pursuant tothe present invention of providing a further plate structure which isrotatable with regard to the cutting plate and is adapted to mount anironing board cover to thereby enable the ironing of cut fabric pieceswithout difficulty upon the entire structure simply being inverted. Tothat effect, the entire structure is provided primarily by componentsconsisting of a first plate arrangement having a planar cutting surfaceand which is essentially a turntable or disk-shape, and including aparallel spaced disk-shaped second plate which is connected to the firstplate by means of a ball-bearing assembly to enable relative rotationbetween the two plate structures, and wherein the second plate isadapted to mount an ironing board cover so as to form an ironing surfaceon the opposite side of structure from that of the cutting platesurface.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to providea novel reversible combined cutting and ironing board.

Another more specific object of the present invention is to provide fora novel independently rotatable cutting board and ironing boardstructure, wherein a pair of parallel spaced rotatable disk-shaped platemembers has one of the pate members equipped with a cutting surface, andthe other plate member equipped with an ironing surface, and which areadapted to be inverted relative to each other so as to be utilizedselectively as a cutting board and in the inverted position as anironing board for fabric pieces which have previously been cut on thecutting surface.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a rotatableturntable structure comprising a combined cutting plate and an ironingboard which are rotatable relative to each other so as to enable thecutting of fabric without having to move the template on the cuttingsurface and thereafter to be able, upon inverting the structure, ironthe cut fabric pieces on the ironing board in a readily and easilyaccessible manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference may now be made to the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of the reversible turntable comprisingthe combined rotatable cutting and ironing board pursuant to theinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded side view thereof, taken along line 2-2of FIG. 1, generally diagrammatically representing details of theinternal structure of the turntable structure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view showing the cutting mat or surface;

FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional view taken along FIG. 4-4 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of the ironing board surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring in detail to the drawings, particularly FIG. 1, there isillustrated a turntable assembly 10 constituted of a circular diskmember 12 having a cutting surface 14 as also shown in FIG. 3 of thedrawings, and which is constituted of a die cut and hot stamp decoratedtop cutting board of a rigid plastic material. The cutting surface 14may be of a so-called “self-healing nature” when subjected to cuttingaction.

Laminated thereto is a stock race assembly 16 comprising a disk-shapedplate member 17 of rigid plastic, which is attached to the oppositesurface 14 a of member 12 by gluing as is well known in the art, andwhich on the opposite side thereof has a grommet and sleeve member 19rotatably connected to a stock race unit 18 constituted of plasticmaterial. As shown in FIG. 2, in the exploded transverse sectional viewthereof, taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 2, the stock race includes a firstmember 20 of a molded plastic ring-shaped configuration, having anannular raised portion 22 adapted to receive a series of annularlyspaced ball bearings 24 housed in a plastic cage structure 26 which isfully rotatable about a central axis 27.

This arrangement, in effect, causes the top member 12 having the cuttingsurface 14 to be equipped with a rotatable stock race configuration,essentially analogous with that provided for in the “Brooklyn Revolver”rotating turntable structure, as set forth hereinabove.

Pursuant to the present invention, there is provided a vacuum formedspacer 34 which is essentially a ring shaped disk member having acircular central opening 34 a outwardly about the stock race structure20 and including an annular raised flange 36, the bottom surface thereoffacing towards plate 17 being glued thereto. This particular spacer ring34 is a vacuum-formed plastic member, and an annular raised surface 38is adapted to have a further annular disk or plate member 40 looselysupported thereon. The plate member 40 is an essentially acrylicmaterial disk of a diameter analogous to that of plate structure 12 andhas the inner radial portion glued to the stock race raised surface 22so as to be rotatable therewith. The outer surface of plate member 40 isadapted to be covered by an ironing board cover 42 having an annularelastic band 44 extending thereabout so as to be able to be snapped overthe plate 40, and thereby provide an ironing surface 46, as is shown inFIG. 5 of the drawings.

Basically, the connection of the plate 40 to the stock race assembly orring member 20 enables them to be rotatable in conjunction with eachother, and also rotatable relative to the ball bearing race which isfastened to the lower surface of plate 17. Consequently, both the platestructure 12 and the plate 40 mounting the ironing board cover 42 arerotatable relative to each other about their common central axis.

In essence, during use as a cutting board for the segmenting or cuttingof fabric pieces, the ironing board cover as is positioned in stationaryrelationship facing downwardly on a support surface (not shown) so as toenable the upper cutting surface 14 to rotate during use. The ironingboard cover provides adequate friction to prevent the entire arrangement10 from sliding about the support surface.

When it is desired to employ the arrangement 10 as an ironing board, itis merely necessary to invert the entire structure so as to have thesurface 14 facing downwardly so as to be supported on the previouslymentioned support surface and the ironing board 42 now faces upwardly toenable the fabric to be ironed. The pressure of the iron is adequate toprevent slipping between the support surface and the smooth surface ofthe plate 12, while permitting rotation of the upper ironing boardstructure 40, 42 relative to the cutting member during ironing, as maybe desired by a user.

From the foregoing it thus clearly appears that the entire arrangementis of an essentially simple inexpensive and portable nature constitutedprimarily of readily molded or stamped plastic components, which areattached to each other. Furthermore, although described as being acircular turntable, the cutting and ironing plate members thereof may beof polygonally-sided configurations, such as squares, hexagons, or thelike.

1. A combination rotatable cutting and ironing board turntablearrangement, comprising: a first structure including a first platemember having a planar cutting surface on one side thereof; a secondstructure including a second plate member in parallel spacedrelationship with said first plate member with the opposite surface ofsaid first plate member; an ironing cover being mounted on a planarsurface of said second plate member facing in a direction opposite tosaid planar cutting surface; and a connection device interposed betweensaid first and second structures facilitating rotational movementbetween said planar cutting surface and said second plate membermounting said ironing board cover about a common transverse centralaxis.
 2. A turntable arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidconnection device interposed between said first and second structurescomprises a stock race.
 3. A turntable arrangement as claimed in claim2, wherein said stock race comprises a ring-shaped ball bearingassembly.
 4. A turntable arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein saidstock race interconnects facing surfaces of said first and second platemembers on opposite sides of, respectively, said cutting surface andironing cover-mounting surfaces.
 5. A turntable arrangement as claimedin claim 2, wherein a spacer ring extends about said stock race so as toform a support for said second plate member proximate the radiallyperipheral region thereof, said spacer ring being adhesively fastened toa surface of first plate member opposite said cutting surface.
 6. Aturntable arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first andsecond structures are essentially constituted of rigid plasticmaterials.
 7. A turntable arrangement as claimed in claim 6, whereinsaid at least second plate member of said second structure isconstituted of an acrylic.
 8. A turntable arrangement as claimed inclaim 2, wherein said stock race comprises a plastic material.
 9. Aturntable arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ironing boardcover includes a peripherally extending elastic band for detachablymounting said ironing board cover on the outer planar surface of saidsecond plate member.
 10. A turntable arrangement as claimed in claim 1,wherein said arrangement is invertible, whereby said cutting surfacefaces upwardly in an operation position and conversely said surfacemounting said ironing board cover faces upwardly in an operativeposition upon inversion of said turntable.
 11. A turntable arrangementas claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second plate members arecircular disks.